The 21-year-old has been in imperious form for Spurs in both the Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League this campaign, becoming one of the most talked about players in the world in the process. Bale becomes the fourth Welshman to be honoured, following in the footsteps of Ian Rush, Mark Hughes and Ryan Giggs.
"I am more than delighted really," he said. "It is a massive award and it is a great honour to receive, especially from other fellow professionals."
He added: "It is a honour really when you look at the names that have won it before and it just makes you go `wow` really.
"There haven`t been too many Welshmen to have won the trophy but it is great and it is great for me personally.
"And it is not just for me, it is for all my team-mates that have helped me through the season and it is kind of for everyone really."
Source: PA
Source: PA